thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange of an honest review! i personally loved murphy and ellie together, they have lots of chemistry but i thought that personality wise, the characters werent exactly well-developed and i wish i could ve gotten more of both ellie and murphy's interests. i really loved the plotline and how it was all thought out and even if the relationship only toom course in a couple of days to me it felt true!! so if you re looking for a holiday lgbtq+ book thats heartwarming and cozy, check this out!!
#netgalley #I'llgetbacktoyou

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6658914117

This book was a fun, easy read that had me coming back to find out how the main characters would reconcile their personal challenges. It was very “becoming an adult/just out of college” type read that wasn’t necessarily relatable to my current life but was a cute play on navigating the world as young adults. Felt very classic queer romance. ;)

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun and light hearted holiday set sapphic romance, right up my alley! I enjoyed getting to know Murphy and Ellie and their super duper speedy relationship. Even for a standard lesbian relationship this was a whirlwind, I’m talking faster than a Uhaul pulling up on the 2nd date! It was a bit tough to feel the realisticness of a relationship like this because of the pace, the family dynamics, friendship dynamics, family meddling, and life transitions… There were so many different plots that could be explored in this one and overall they were easy enough to find interesting without burdening the storyline. The build up to the relationship was both fast and also a little chaotic which kept me engaged, it did feel a bit like we were on a rollercoaster doing loopty loops and then all of a sudden we were at the end and your head was still spinning. It would have been nice to have a shorter relationship build up and more opportunity exploring the relationship once it came to fruition.I generally enjoyed this rocket ship to sapphic romance and recommend it if you’re looking for a light hearted holiday romance with very little spice. 3.5 gooses 1.5 honkin’ peppers.

I’ll Get Back to You was a cozy story that focused on wanting to get out of your hometown, but hanging onto the connections you can’t replace there. While I enjoyed the character growth and could appreciate the atmosphere Becca Grischow created, some aspects of the story impacted how much I enjoyed it in the end. The biggest challenge I had was the pacing of the book as the majority took place over the span of just a few days which made the romance and connections between characters hard to believe. The romance itself also fell a little flat for me since their relationship didn’t really begin until the very end of the story. I would still say I enjoyed the majority of this book but I wish I could have liked it more! (2.75/5)

Give me all of the queer holiday romances. This story is a coming of age romance set during the holidays. The attraction Murphy feels for Ellie is instant, but the love isn’t. I can’t stand insta-love stories. This was such a realistic adventure of romance and growing up.

** spoiler alert ** I loved this story; the characters and plot spoke to me! Murphy experienced a lot of what young adults experience during that stage of their lives, and I liked how she figured it out as she managed her relationships and professional career. She was witty and fun, and I liked her personality. I would have liked to see a little more characterization for Ellie and Kat, especially as they deal with some of the challenges Murphy faces during the story.

Murphy and Kat's relationship to me, seemed like Murphy was always making changes to her life for Kat's benefit rather than her own. I felt that Kat made a wrong choice when she brought Daniel because she'd agreed that the night out would be for her and Murphy. But we get to know Kat more and forgive her, I did!, when she came over and apologized and talked things out with Murphy. At that moment, I felt that the challenges Murphy experienced with Kat were good because they made her prioritize what she needed rather than what Kat needed. This ties in with Murphy's decision in the end, in terms of school and her professional life. I really liked seeing Murphy build on what she'd already begun.

I felt Murphy's relationship with her parents was sad because they were "there" virtually for half of the book and then made plans to continue to be "there" virtually for the rest of her life. I agree that Murphy's parents made choices to make Murphy comfortable while she was in community college and that they earned their retirement, but they should have handled the whole situation better. Regardless of their personal feelings and wishes, I don't think it's right for her parents to say that they did everything they were supposed to for 18 years and then just leave. Parents are meant to be there for their kids, virtually and in person, and I think Murphy's mom's admittance that they only stayed for Murphy and that it was somehow Murphy's fault for their decision was wrong. Their relationship has already been altered, I think, from their conversation after they came home. And from Murphy's reflection on her prior experiences with them, it feels like she's been a third wheel in their relationship from the start. Then they decide to move, and Murphy realizes that for herself. All in all, I felt it gave her more of the boost to determine what she wanted to do with her life, but it will affect her later. I am glad she has Ellie, Kat, Daniel, and Brooke's support.

Going to Ellie and her family, I liked learning about them and their behaviors and that Ellie is on the path to fixing things with her mom. Throughout the whole story, I really liked Ellie's father and her Aunt Carol, and I liked Kara, who she turned out to be. Her conversations with Murphy, I felt, showed she was an empathetic individual once you've earned it, and I liked her concern for Ellie. Mothers and daughters have dynamic relationships, and I think Ellie and Kara have a good one that could improve. It's why I think Ellie and Murphy are endgame, kinda cuz Murphy feels "wow" about Ellie, and I liked their romance and how they hit things off. Kara's concern for Ellie and her concern for Murphy seemed sincere, which I felt made up for Murphy's mother. It felt like Ellie's family was a unit since we saw them at dinner together, making plans for the future, such as the family wedding and other events. Murphy's parents don't appear to make as many concessions for Murphy. It felt like they did what they were supposed to do. The whole Florida Thanksgiving tradition was mainly their enjoyment, having drinks by the pool. I don't know what Murphy's experience was before, but I felt, in comparison, that something was lacking from Murphy's parents, which Ellie's family had. Maybe it was just because we saw a few glimpses into both the families' dynamics, but I guess I'm hopeful Murphy's parents will do better in the future. I just think that Kara and her family will begin to play a bigger part in Murphy's life, and I think it'll be nice for her.

Overall, I loved the beginning of Ellie and Murphy's love story and their plans for the future. I'd wish for another book to see where they end up, but I liked how this book ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this ARC!

This was a very cute and enjoyable holiday read! I love that this book centers on Thanksgiving instead of Christmas, it was a great glimpse into holiday traditions. I also loved that this book took place in Illinois as I have been to Geneva many times. I loved that I was able to picture everything that I was reading including "the book shop with the dog on the sign." I feel like it could've been fleshed out more and had a deeper look at Murphy and Ellie's attraction to each other. Everything felt very surface level. 3.5 stars!

nooooooo

hard no and pass and absolutely not on this book so sorry to say i just could NOT

i had zero sympathy for the mc’s icky and complain-y problems and the romance LITERALLY DID NOT ROMANCE until like the last ten pages when at that point i was so done i was just swiping for it to be over

i swear im in a rom-com mood but this was not hitting at all - ellie sounds cool and like sip was described well but besides that? absolutely not, this was not for me

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Murphy and Ellie scratched an itch in my brain that made me realize that I’ve always wanted a story like this to exist - a sweet holiday time of year fake romance where both sides of the equation are a bit messed up and still learning about themselves.

Murphy just wants to pass accounting so she can transfer to the state school where her best friend is, and Ellie wants her mom to ease up on the idea of grad school in Manhattan.

Murphy is highly relatable as her life is going far from the way she planned, and her best friend seems to have found a soulmate, possibly replacing her in that role. And Ellie took me back to when I thought I had the dream mapped out until I was informed by the reality that I might need to adjust the plans.

I love a good fake romance and this one was fast-paced - essentially 36 hours long - but the immediate chemistry and aftermath was the true star of this book. It was refreshing to watch the two work through their restraints to find a realistic path forward.

I left this book feeling warm as Murphy found a new path forward for herself and Ellie discovered how to be content in what she wanted deep down, even if not how she planned it.

This one is for those looking for a cozy, light read that isn’t afraid to hide from real-life topics. Perfect for the upcoming holiday season with a cup of warm cider or chai tea.

thank you to netgalley for the eARC.

this was such a fun read. i don’t read lighthearted books often, but it’s always a treat when i do.

the whole fake dating aspect to an odd situation was interesting. in the end, i’m not even sure if it truly benefited them both, or any of them actually. it worked, but it also didn’t work.

i feel like a majority of the book took place in a span of a week, maybe less, and the rest was just a bunch of realizing and waiting for about a month? if you took out the fake dating, murphy and ellie weren’t together longer than they were together.

the read was fun, but the storyline was weak in that aspect. not much was added outside of that, but i rate based on how interested i was and how fun it was so four stars. it likely would’ve been three stars if i rated my reads differently, but i say four stars. however, i do wish there was more than just the fake dating.

I fear I am never beating the "silly queer holiday romance lover" allegations because this is yet another one that has stolen my heart.

I'm very greatful to have gotten the arc through netgalley. I did have to dnf this 40% of the way through. It felt like I was pushing myself to just read the book to try to see if I would like it and because I got an arc of it. What I read of it was decent and good writing which is why I'm not giving it a one star. I just think it's not for me there's nothing horribly wrong with the book so one or two stars felt like the wrong rating for this.

The premise seemed great, but I couldn't get attached to the characters. I didn't feel like any of them were super unique or something I hadn't seen before. Felt like almost the hallmark movie with Kristen Stewart which I didn't really enjoy. I might try to read this again later, but for now this is sadly a dnf.

This was a quick, cute holiday read with one of my all-time favorite romance novel plots: fake dating! Murphy and Ellie had great chemistry, which I bought into immediately — but I really struggled with the actual plot. It didn't really launch for me. Murphy's accounting teacher is Ellie's mom, for the second semester in a row, but she doesn't recognize Murphy when they meet? She assumes she's Ellie's girlfriend, Mary? And Ellie can't get money for grad school for art therapy unless she's dating someone with a plan to become a CEO, but Murphy has failed accounting in her mom's class already once, and is on track to fail again? Which isn't exactly a robust CEO five-year plan? The actual scenes with Murphy and Ellie were great and it was wonderful to see Murphy finally pull herself out of her toxic situationship with her straight best friend. I also loved the Chicago Christmas vibes. I just wish the premise had been a little bit tighter!

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I always appreciate a book that touches on changing friend dynamics, so getting to see the way Kat and Murphy's relationship altered with the addition of Daniel was very interesting for me to see. I really felt for Murphy in that moment of expecting things to go one way and then the immediate realization of Daniel being along for the ride. In that same frame, I loved getting to see that relationship grow over the course of the book. Of course Murphy had that initial reaction, but as she got to know Daniel and she had her heart to heart with Kat, you could see the pieces coming together.
Now, about Ellie and Murphy. The chemistry between Ellie and Murphy was immediate. I loved that you could tell straight (ha) away that there was a connection between the two of them. When I tell you my stomach dropped when Murphy asked her out and Ellie very kindly explained why she said no... My only hang-up was, and I understand this is a matter of building their relationship over two days at this point, that I had a little whiplash with Ellie turning over on her decision to not date Murphy. I cannot blame Murphy for being so confused because they literally had the conversation that morning about why Ellie said no to dating, just for Ellie to turn on a dime and change her mind a few hours later.
My heart was broken that Ellie didn't turn up at the opening of Sip. I can't say I was as disappointed as Murphy, but it was pretty dang close. Seeing things from only Murphy's POV is so interesting because, obviously, we don't know what Ellie is up to, but finding out she also deleted Murphy's phone number was a nice touch. You cannot be mad about her not getting in touch with Murphy straight away because Murphy also deleted Ellie's number.
And I adored the evolution of the relationship between Murphy and Kara and her sneakily getting the painting and 'thankful' list to Murphy. And maybe also sneakily bumping a grade up.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Changing friend dynamics and welcoming in new people to the fold, classic miscommunication, queer rep. Definitely a cozy holiday recommendation.

This was sooo good! I love Murphy and Ellie! I found myself laughing out loud a few times and full of giddy while reading this. I love that we're in Murphy's head and though she has almost immediate attraction toward Ellie, it feels really natural, and the chemistry is fantastic, everything evolved at a really nice pace.

I've never heard of muddy buddies (puppy chow), but I want to try some now!

I'll Get Back To You is a coming of age romance story. It's about opening your heart to possibilities and finding yourself along the way! We follow Murphy and Ellie, two former classmates who make plans to fake date their way to freedom until things don’t go according to plan. What will they do now?!

I knew this book would be a 5⭐️ since the beginning! Murphy and Ellie was everything! If you enjoy witty banter, fake dating & books you can't put down! This one is for you!

Becca Grischow's debut romance novel is a perfect combination: a holiday scene, love letter to Chicago, and what it means to be queer in the Chicago suburbs.

I'll Get Back To You is a cute story that perfectly describes what it's like to realize your life isn't going how you had planned or hoped it would while also dealing with the realization that those around you are moving on while you stay stuck. I loved how Grischow described Murphy's emotions and struggle to understand that all her plans have fallen apart. I found myself rooting for Murph the entire time and wanting to fight for her every time the people in her life disappointed her. 21 can be just as difficult to navigate as 16 or 18, and Grischow captured that struggle beautifully.

I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy upon release and have finally found the perfect Thanksgiving-time book.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Relatable characters, witty banter, and a festive atmosphere makes this book a hit of the holiday season! Murphy is in a bit of a slump, struggling to pass her accounting course at community college so she can join her best friend at U of I and continue on the path they set out for themselves when they were six. In comes Ellie with struggles of her own wanting to go to art school much to her parents dismay. Turns out Murphy and Ellie have something to benefit from each other, in more ways than one! This book follows the typical 'fake dating' trope as many rom com books do, but while it deals with complex issues it remains lighthearted. A quick read that will leave you smiling at the end!

I was so excited when I was approved for this advance copy, and luckily, for the most part, it did not disappoint. Both Murphy and Ellie were likable and relatable characters. Murphy, making her way through barista/marketing life, while attending community college to hopefully join her best friend Kat at U of I. Unfortunately that meant literally following Kat around like a lost puppy dog who literally upends her life in order to please or be with Kat. I’m sorry but to me, that is a little more than friendship. Which is the vibe I got, even when Ellie comes into the picture. Even though I felt myself drawn more towards Murphy, she still frustrated me alot too. Thank God she was able to freaking realize that she doesn’t need anyone to guide her through life, she all along had the ability to be herself and pursue her dreams without anyone standing in the way. Just took her until the last chapter to figure it out!!!

Anyway I liked the fact that community college played a major role in this book because not everyone can or afford to go to Ivy league colleges and on top of that, college is not for everyone. I am a huge advocate for education, don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s important to also know that college is not always the endgame, but maybe rather a stepping stone towards the career you want. Which in this case, seemed to work out well for Murphy. Being a huge baseball fan and former softball player myself, I loved the fact that Murphy was named after the bar across from Wrigley field and her love of baseball, especially the scene where she taught Ellie how to throw a ball. Major brownie points there, everyone should know how to properly throw a ball! So my end thoughts on Murphy are that, yes for the most part she is amazing and uber relatable, but I just hate the fact that she has wasted a majority of her life chasing a best friend/crush instead of focusing on herself and what she wanted for her own life.

Okay now onto Ellie. Ellie from the get go was your typical art school student, wanting to pursue her passion despite having a mother who doesn’t believe in pursuing the arts because lack of financial and practical stability. Typical. I wish society would finally move away from these thoughts because honestly, where would we be without art, music, theater, and other forms of creative expression? So major props to Ellie to sticking it to her uptight mother and going for what she wants in life! In that aspect she definitely influenced and encouraged Murphy to follow in her footsteps. Unfortunately when it came to chemistry with Murphy, it honestly fell extremely flat for me. I mean there was just not enough spice or sparks, and the lack of a deep enough connection made the romance feel lackluster at best.

Okay moving onto Kat and Daniel. I feel like Kat was extremely manipulative and strung Murphy along with her. If Kat truly was her best friend, she would have asked Murphy what she really wanted for herself instead of making plans so that they could always be together. Because even the one time Murphy asked to spend time with Kat, she purposely went against her wishes and brought her boyfriend Daniel. Poor Daniel, we really didn’t get to know him very much. Apparently he was this big sweet, funny guy, but we never got to see that, especially with Murphy constantly complaining about him and her clear jealousy.

As for the families, I absolutely adored Ellie’s dad and Aunt Carol. Her dad is the typical stereotype, grills the meat, loves talking about and watching sports, naps on the recliner, and has no clue what is going on around him, but in the most hilarious way. Aunt Carol gives off warm and understanding vibes, the exact opposite of her sister Kara. Despite Ellie not being there, she went to the opening of Sip to support Murphy and even hired her to help with marketing. Even though I’m still not a fan of Kara, I’m glad she turned it around in the end. Murphy’s parents on the other hand started out great, completely cute and supportive, and then went hard off the deep end. Without giving anything away, you will know when it happens! Let’s just say if I was Murphy I would be freaking pissed too.

Personally I’m not a fan of the fake dating in books because it always ends the same way with the 2 characters miraculously falling in love with each other when in real life nobody fake dates, let alone ends up with them in the end. Sorry I’m a realist. This kind of worked, only because it didn’t last long, but still, I wish people would move away from the fake dating because it gets old. All in all though, I did enjoy most of it, and would recommend it to the sapphic community!

Oh and I really love the cover of this book:)
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy for review!

I did not leave feed back for this book on review sites because I DNF'ed it. I felt it unfair to leave a review for a book I didn't finish. The plot seemed too unrealistic after one character mentioned the teacher hated her and then the teacher didn't even recognize her. and how was the teacher suppose to give her a better grade, when she would be using a different name on her tests?! I just couldn't get past it. I'm sorry. I know these situations are suppose to take a bit of disbelief, but my brain just kept questioning everything. I didn't want to harm the good reviews by leaving a negative one of my own though. I'm sorry.